Ride closures at theme parks are a necessary evil. They may put a damper on your day, but keeping the thrills safe and the magic intact means routine maintenance—and sometimes, those temporary pauses stretch longer than expected.
Universal Studios Japan is the latest park to close two beloved attractions. According to a recent post on the park’s official X account (formerly known as Twitter), Hollywood Dream – The Ride will remain closed until March 4, while its backward-riding counterpart, Hollywood Dream – The Ride: Backdrop, is now scheduled to reopen on March 23, 2025.
Adding to the list, JAWS—the only full operating version of the classic ride since its Universal Studios Florida counterpart was replaced by an expansion of the Wizarding World of Harry Potter (no, Universal Studios Hollywood doesn’t count)—is set to close from April 8 to April 25, 2025.
Translated from Japanese by
[Notice of change in suspension period]
Hollywood Dream – The Ride will be closed until March 4th (Tuesday), and Jaws will be closed from April 6th (Sunday) to April 28th (Monday).
【休止期間変更のお知らせ】
ハリウッド・ドリーム・ザ・ライドの休止期間を3/4(火)まで延長、ジョーズの休止期間を4/6(日)-4/28(月)に変更します2/19(水)までに対象ユニバーサル・エクスプレス・パスをご購入の方は以下をご確認くださいhttps://t.co/iU8Q3YNcDs
ご理解のほどよろしくお願いします
— ユニバーサル・スタジオ・ジャパン公式 (@USJ_Official) February 21, 2025
The closures haven’t gone unnoticed. According to USJ 1, the prolonged downtime of Hollywood Dream – The Ride will likely impact attendance, particularly among younger visitors.
Universal has a history of lengthy refurbishments, with past examples like The Incredible Hulk Coaster at Universal Orlando Resort, which underwent nearly a year-long overhaul from 2015 to 2016 that saw it partially retracked.
But the list of temporarily shuttered attractions doesn’t stop there. At Universal Studios Japan – which recently welcomed its newest area, Donkey Kong Country – Sesame Street 4-D Movie Magic and Shrek’s 4-D Adventure have been closed indefinitely since January. Additional closures include Snoopy’s Sound Stage Adventure, Wand Studies, Ernie’s Rubber Duckie Race, Sesame’s Big Drive, and the Universal Spectacle Night Parade: The Best of Hollywood.
For now, fans will have to sit tight and hope these classics come back with a little extra shine. In the meantime, the rest of the park still offers plenty of thrills and movie magic.
Have you ever visited Universal Studios Japan?
